One of our main information and education activities includes providingtips to motorists on how to avoid conflicts with aggressive drivers. We aresending this information to 50,000 highway safety professionals andadvocates.
NHTSA and FHWA are working with the States and their law enforcementcommunities to establish a uniform, nationwide cell phone number formotorists to report aggressive drivers to State or local police. Theagency's tips on how to avoid conflicts with aggressive drivers will beincluded in the bills sent to 20 million cell phone subscribers.
FHWA has initiated a program on the problem of running red lights--acommon violation of aggressive drivers--and has developed an outreachcampaign that incorporates vigorous enforcement. To date, over $600,000 hasbeen awarded to 32 communities across the country to raise public awarenessof this particular type of aggressive driving behavior. The City ofMilwaukee recently received $25,000 to kick off their campaign on thisproblem. The preliminary results of these campaigns show up to a 24 percentreduction in crashes.
Another of the Department's major programs that is making great stridesin combating aggressive driving and increasing safety awareness on thehighways is FHWA's Share-the-Road, or "No-Zone" Campaign. In its fourthyear, the No-Zone campaign has been very successful in educating the publicand increasing their awareness about sharing the road with commercialdrivers in order to reduce traffic crashes. Through a host of strategicoutreach tools, the campaign highlights the dangers of driving or"lingering" in the "blind spot" or "no-zone" areas of commercial motorvehicles..
Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New Mexico recently initiatedspecial, regional highway patrols targeting aggressive drivers.
In April, Secretary Slater announced a $100,000 grant to Washington arealaw enforcement agencies for their joint efforts in conducting the "SmoothOperator" program. "Smooth Operator" is a regional public awareness andenforcement effort targeting aggressive drivers on the Capital Beltway. Inaddition to routine traffic enforcement activities, State and localjurisdictions around the nation's capital currently are conductingenforcement "waves" throughout the summer. These enforcement "waves" arehigh profile operations with law enforcement officers targeting and issuingcitations to aggressive drivers. We believe that the unprecedented effortof the "Smooth Operator" program--which will be discussed in detail shortlyby a representative of Virginia--will show how effective law enforcement canbe in combating aggressive driving.
Also, new technology is being used in the Capital Beltway Initiative todeter aggressive driving. Conventional law enforcement patrol tactics havebeen proven to have limited effectiveness in reaching a significant numberof violators in the congested and hazardous operational environment of theBeltway. Instead, the Beltway project will use advanced technologies todetect and record traffic violations. Technologies to be used include laserimaging or video speed detection devices and high resolution digital trafficcameras. The imaging evidence will be used to support traffic enforcementactions and an associated public information campaign to reduce aggressivedriving behavior associated with trucks, buses and other vehicles on theBeltway.
NHTSA strongly supports graduated licensing programs for young drivers,which we address under our Section 402 State and community highway safetyprogram. It really is too easy to obtain a driver's license in manyjurisdictions. Thirteen States now have graduated licensing programs insome form. These programs strengthen the licensing process by providing aprovisional period for the novice driver during which certain restrictionsare imposed, such as no driving between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m.This allows young drivers to develop safety conscious attitudes andbehaviors in addition to the skills needed for safe driving.
Another of NHTSA's major efforts in this area is a demonstration projecton aggressive driving enforcement. We will award a contract this year toone of the 27 highest traffic-congested metropolitan areas. The project'spurpose will be to identify effective, innovative enforcement techniques,possible applications for new enforcement technology, legislative needs,prosecutorial or judicial needs, and the role, if any, that alcohol or drugsmay play in this problem. Our results will be published and distributednationally to law enforcement and other members of the criminal justicesystem. Any techniques that are proven effective in combating theaggressive driver will be tested in two other locations to validate theresults.
Commercial vehicles are often mentioned as an area of particular concern.If a truck driver is an aggressive driver, he or she is particularlydangerous to the other drivers who share the road. (Most fatalities in fataltruck crashes are occupants of the other vehicle, not the truck'soccupants! ). FHWA's Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) andPennsylvania law enforcement have teamed up to catch aggressive truckdrivers using a high tech approach that includes using photo laser imagingor radar at high crash locations where excessive truck speed previously hasbeen identified as a crash factor. If a truck driver is identified asdriving too fast, the image is forwarded downstream using cellulartechnology. The vehicle is then pulled over for a commercial motor vehicleexamination and the driver is charged with speeding. This concept hastremendous promise since it targets violators, and it serves as a "generaldeterrence" as the word spreads among commercial vehicle drivers andcarriers on Pennsylvania highways.
FHWA has also worked with a group of 21 States to develop a new, nationalpublic information campaign on work zone safety. Work zones are a necessarystage of rebuilding our highways, but they contribute to traffic congestionand associated driver aggression. Every day, there are two deathsassociated with work zone crashes in the United States. The campaign willbe made available to all States later this year.
NHTSA and FHWA have jointly developed and continue to implement a SpeedManagement Plan combining research, enforcement, roadway engineering andpublic education. Speeding is frequently a significant aspect of theaggressive driving, and often precedes tailgating and sudden lane changes.In 1995, speeding was a factor in 31 percent of all fatal highway crashes,at a cost to society and the economy of more than $29 billion.
Traffic enforcement not only makes our roads safer, but can have asubstantial effect on other criminal activity. Most criminals drive to andfrom their illegal activities, and therefore, when traffic enforcementincreases, more criminals are detected and crime decreases. Perhaps themost famous example is Timothy McVeigh, the convicted Oklahoma City bomber,who was arrested at a routine traffic stop. A 1995 study in Grand Prairie,Texas, showed that 37 percent of all criminal arrests came from trafficstops. About one-half of the arrests in Grand Prairie were for non-trafficoffenses, such as drug offenses, stolen vehicles, illegal weapons, andoutstanding warrants for burglary, robbery, and violent crimes. Increasedtraffic enforcement in Modesto and San Bernadino, California, and Peoria,Illinois, resulted in reduced criminal activity as well as in increasedtraffic safety.
The court system has an important role to play, as well. Just as lawenforcement must take traffic offenses seriously, so must the courts. Thecourts now recognize that drunk driving is not something to laugh at but isa serious crime that can injure or kill innocent bystanders. Otheraggressive driving actions must be treated equally seriously.
Prosecutors must vigorously prosecute aggressive driving cases. Chargesmust not be reduced. When appropriate, the charges should be substantial,including vehicular homicide or reckless endangerment. Judges must treatthese cases seriously and sentence offenders with appropriate severity. Thecourts must send a consistent message to the driving public that aggressivedriving behavior will not be tolerated.
Engineering approaches offer two basic types of countermeasures againstthe aggressive driver: highway design and traffic operations. Withhighway design, we can redesign the road to add capacity or accommodateincreased traffic thruput. Highway design can also ameliorate the injuryconsequences for motorists who come into contact with aggressive drivers.Some examples are clear recovery zones, break way sign posts, and dividedmedians.
Traffic operations offer a way to accommodate increased traffic flow orat least get it under control, without building new roads. IntelligentTransportation Systems (ITS) applications offer great promise in this area.Three examples using smart traffic signal controls follow:
- In Lexington, KY, coordinated traffic signals reduced "stop and go" traffic delays by 40 percent and reduced crashes by 31 percent between 1985 and 1994.
- Minnesota's ramp metering management program increased peak period speeds by 35 percent and reduced crashes by 15-50 percent while peak period demand increased 32 percent.
- In Seattle, ramp metering along Interstate 5 kept traffic moving and cut crash rates by more than 38 percent over a six-year period despite a 10 to 100 percent increase in traffic along various interstate segments.
Freeway management systems are especially valuable in decreasing driverfrustrations fueled by gridlock and slow traffic. ITS state-of-the-artfreeway management systems can decrease travel time by 20-48 percent,increase capacity by 16-25 percent, and help create a cleaner atmosphere bycutting down fuel consumption used by vehicles while standing still incongestion. This approach will be especially helpful in urban areas, wherenew road capacity is not likely to be possible.
A study of the 50 largest urbanized areas found that the roadway capacityneeded to accommodate the next generation of drivers could be provided for35 percent less cost than if only traditional lane-widening techniques wereused. These savings would come from a combination of ITS technology and anexpansion of capacity.
DOT'S NEXTEA PROPOSAL PROVIDES RESOURCES FORCOUNTERMEASURES. The Department's proposed "National EconomicCrossroads Transportation Efficiency Act of 1997" (NEXTEA) contains severalprovisions that can be used to develop comprehensive State and communityprograms aimed at combating aggressive driving.
The keystone of NHTSA's efforts in highway safety, jointly administeredwith FHWA, is the State and community highway safety grant program, known byits U.S. Code provision as the "Section 402" program.
The Section 402 program provides funds to every State to address theircritical highway safety issues, and thus includes aggressive drivingcountermeasures. For example, Virginia, Maryland, and the District ofColumbia are using their current Section 402 funds to implement innovativeprograms, such as Smooth Operator, and programs to curb aggressive drivers.In New Jersey, the New Jersey State Police, Division of Highway Safety, andmunicipal police departments in six counties used Section 402 funds tolaunch a program combining aggressive enforcement and public informationefforts with a statewide toll-free cellular phone number for motorists toreport aggressive driving. By reauthorizing the Section 402 program,Congress can enable these States to continue funding such programs, andprovide additional States will have the assistance they need to implementnew aggressive driving programs throughout the country.
NEXTEA's Integrated Safety Fund, as proposed in NEXTEA, would rewardStates that have good integrated safety plans, by giving them new funds theycould use on any or all of the following programs: Infrastructure SafetyProgram, Section 402 Highway Safety Programs (mainly the behavioralprograms), and the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program. With thesefunds, States and local communities can develop a multi-faceted plan toaddress the problem of aggressive drivers. For example, a community coulduse Integrated Safety Funds to increase law enforcement on roadways whereaggressive drivers are particularly prevalent, finance public informationcampaigns to make aggressive driving socially unacceptable, increaseinspections to ensure truck drivers are not falsifying their travel logs(and driving longer than permitted), and install median barriers to ensurethat if aggressive drivers do lose control of their vehicles, they will notcross over into on-coming traffic.
Our NEXTEA proposal also would increase the flexibility of the SurfaceTransportation Program (STP) to authorize the use of these funds to developanti-aggressive driving initiatives. Under this proposal, States that havegood integrated highway safety plans would be allowed to transfer STP fundsto any of the three highway safety programs mentioned above.
NEXTEA also would sustain the Federal commitment to IntelligentTransportation Systems (ITS), mentioned earlier, and provide funds for usinghighway design features to counteract the effects of aggressive driving.
The Department's "Surface Transportation Safety Act of 1997," introducedas H.R. 1720, includes several significant safety initiatives--particularlyan aggressive strategy to increase safety belt use through "primary" seatbelt laws, which allow police to ticket motorists solely for failure to usea seat belt.
Our message is simple: seat belts are the best defenseagainst aggressive driving! Seat belts are nowsaving 9,500 lives annually. A person is twice as likely to die or sustaina serious injury in a crash if unbelted. The experience of the 11 Statesthat already have primary seat belt use laws has shown that these laws areone of the most effective strategies for increasing seat belt use--and forsaving lives.
WHAT EACH OF US CAN DO NOW. Finally, I want to stresswhat each of us can do right now about the aggressivedriver. We can deal with this person on two levels: personal and societal.
- Don't become part of the problem
- Don't personalize or challenge
- Report aggressive driving behavior
We also have to examine our own behavior to be sure that we are not doingsomething that another driver perceives as an insult. A certain percentageof our population always will retaliate to an insult. With this in mind, weneed to be sure there is enough room to merge in front of another car, andwe need to let another car merge in front of us in a fair way. Each of usneeds to take responsibility for not contributing to the problem.
- Increase awareness of consequences and send strong social messages on responsible driving
- Support strengthened licensing systems (such as graduated licensing which ensure that the people who drive on the highways do so safely through solid driver training)
- Support strong, well-enforced laws (the answer to aggressive driving is aggressive enforcement)
- Support appropriate punishment from the judicial system (strong penalties send strong messages)
- Support improved highway management and operations (increase motorist information and capacity)
The good news is that we are beginning to see an increased nationwideawareness of the consequences of aggressive driving. A few recent caseshave even charged aggressive drivers with negligent homicide.
CONCLUSION. Finally, I want to stress that motorvehicle crashes are not inevitable, they are avoidable. We are nothelpless. We all have the power to make things better. We should use thatpower--and remember to Buckle Up on Every Trip!
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared remarks. My colleagues and Iwill be glad to answer any questions you might have.
